Guntur: In a dramatic early morning crackdown, the Andhra Pradesh police on Tuesday forcefully foiled the indefinite hunger strike of YSR Congress president and opposition leader in AP Legislative Assembly, YS Jaganmohan Reddy. Jagan was on indefinite hunger fast for the past seven days seeking Special Category Status (SCS) to AP as promised during the state bifurcation.
After their initial request to end the fast was turned down by the YSR Congress chief at around 2 am, a squadron of policemen rushed to the protest camp and forced Mr Reddy into an ambulance around 4.10 am while his party members were sound asleep.
The police also resorted to mild lathi charge to keep the protesting party members at bay and transferred Mr Reddy from the protest venue in stretcher. The medical staff tried to administer primary medical care on Jagan that he objected to.
(Photo: Tejo Roy)
Mr Reddy was taken to the ICU at the Government General Hospital (GGH), Guntur where he eventually submitted to pressure and was forcefully administered fluids. Jagan refused the doctor’s request to take raw food, and said that he would continue protesting seeking special status to AP.
Meanwhile, Jagan’s wife, Ms. Bharati, mother, Ms. YS Vijayamma and sister, Ms. Sharmila rushed to the GGH, which is heavily manned by police. No political leaders being allowed into the hospital.
GGH superintendent, Dr. Naidu said that Jagan was severely dehydrated and that his blood pressure was high, standing at 130/90. Jagan will be kept under observation for next 24 hours.
Speaking to mediamen after Jagan's hospitalisation, his sister Sharmila alleged that CM Chandrababu Naidu made the 42-year-old leader break his fast as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting the state on October 22 to lay the foundation stone for the state's new capital Amaravati.
(Photo: Tejo Roy)
Meanwhile, YSRCP leader Botsa Satyanarayana lauded Jagan's determination to fight for people of Andhra Pradesh and said that the party would chalk out its next course of action towards achieving special category status to the state.
The promise of special category status was made to Seemandhra (new Andhra Pradesh) by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament during bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh last year.
YSR Congress, Congress, Left parties have been hitting out at the TDP-BJP combine for not granting special status even one year after coming to power.
